The concentration of five soil heavy metals (Pb, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg) was measured in forty sampling sites in central Transylvania, Romania, regions known as centres of pollution due to the chemical and metallurgical activities. The soil samples were collected from locations where the ground is not sliding and the probability of alluvial deposits is small. The concentration of heavy metals was measured by using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry method. Data were verified by using the Neutron Activation Analysis method. In some locations, the concentration for the investigated heavy metals exceeds the concentration admitted by the Romanian guideline. The highest concentration of lead (1521.8 ppm) and copper (1197.6 ppm) was found in Zlatna. The highest concentration of chromium was found in Târnăveni (1080 ppm). The maximum admitted concentrations in the sensitive areas revealed to be exceed from five to forty times.
Keywords: AIT = Area Intervention Threshold; ALLS = Alert Level in the Less Sensitive Area; ALS = Alert Level in the Sensitive Area; Central Transylvania; Heavy metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg); ICP = Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry; NAA = Neutron Activation Analysis; RSV = Reference Value in the Sensitive Area; RVLS = Reference Value in the Less Sensitive Area; Soil pollutant.